Conventional electronic devices are typically made from durable materials to protect the electronic components of the device. Various portions of the device are thus formed from materials that withstand the everyday wear-and-tear applied to the electronic device. That is, portions of the electronic device may be formed from a material that may withstand constant handling of the electronic device by a user, the transportation and/or packing of the electronic devices and undesired blunt forces (e.g., dropping, sitting on) applied to the electronic device during use. Conventional electronic devices may be formed from metals (e.g., aluminum), reinforced glass, and/or polymers (e.g., plastic, rubber).
Alumina (Al2O3), one example of which is sapphire typically, is not used to form most portions of electronic devices. As a result of the physical and/or chemical properties of sapphire, certain manufacturing processes used to form portions or components of an electronic device may be difficult and/or expensive to perform on sapphire material. For example, housings for electronic devices typically include designs, text or logos formed right on or in the material forming the housing. The designs, text or logos may be painted directly on a surface of the housing, and the housing may undergo various processes (e.g., heat-setting, coating, and so on) to prevent the paint from being removed. However, over time and normal use of the electronic device, the paint may begin to wear and be removed, as the paint is only applied to a surface of the sapphire material.
Laser etching or burning may also be used to form logos on sapphire material. However, these processes typically require the use of difficult and complex intermediate steps, such as ion bombardment of the sapphire material, in order for the etch or burn to be successful on the sapphire material. These complex steps, which are required because of the physical and/or chemical properties of sapphire, increase cost, time and complexity of successfully etching or burning the sapphire. In addition, the visible color of each etched or burned logo onto the sapphire material is typically limited to black, gray or white.